260
FXUS65 KBYZ 180909
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
209 AM MST WED FEB 18 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW AND MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES
ARE EXPECTED TODAY INTO THURSDAY. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 4
INCHES ARE GENERALLY FORECAST. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW COULD
IMPACT TRAVEL.
- OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE SINGLE
DIGITS (ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO) TO TEENS (ABOVE ZERO) TODAY INTO
THE WEEKEND. COLDEST WIND CHILLS TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING.
- CONDITIONS GRADUALLY TREND WARMER AND DRIER INTO THE WEEKEND.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
LIGHT TO MODERATE WIDESPREAD SNOW IS FORECAST TODAY INTO THURSDAY
AS A DISTURBANCE DROPS THROUGH THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW. OVER THE
MOUNTAINS, GENERALLY 2 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW ARE FORECAST, WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OVER THE HIGHEST PEAKS OF THE ABSAROKA-
BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS. OVER THE PLAINS, GENERALLY 1 TO 4 INCHES OF
SNOW ARE FORECAST, GREATEST OVER SOUTH-EASTERN MONTANA INTO NORTH-
CENTRAL WYOMING. AROUND MILES CITY, BAKER, AND EKALAKA, LESS SNOW
IS EXPECTED, WITH GENERALLY A TRACE TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW. ALONG
WITH THE SNOW, BREEZY NORTHEASTERLY WINDS TODAY INTO TONIGHT MAY
RESULT IN SOME BLOWING SNOW. THIS, COMBINED WITH THE ACCUMULATING
SNOW, WILL LIKELY IMPACT TRAVEL AT TIMES. THEREFORE, WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF SOUTH-CENTRAL AND
SOUTH-EASTERN MONTANA, AS WELL AS NORTH-CENTRAL WYOMING FOR
VARIOUS TIMES TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.
COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK.
HIGHS TODAY WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE UPPER TEENS TO UPPER 20. FROM
BILLINGS NORTH, THERE IS A 40-80% CHANCE (HIGHEST NORTH) OF BELOW
ZERO WIND CHILLS BY 9 AM THIS MORNING. TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY
MORNING, THE CHANCE OF BELOW ZERO WIND CHILLS INCREASES TO 70-90%
ACROSS THE CWA. THE MOST LIKELY RANGE FOR WIND CHILLS TONIGHT
INTO THURSDAY MORNING IS -5 TO -15 F, APPROACHING -20 F IN THE
NORTH. THURSDAY IS EXPECTED TO BE THE COLDEST DAY OF THE WEEK,
WITH HIGHS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS OVER THE EAST TO TEENS OVER MUCH
OF THE REST OF THE REGION. WIND CHILLS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY
MORNING WILL ALSO BE AROUND -5 TO -15 F. DRESS IN LAYERS!
FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY, ANOTHER WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE
REGION, BUT LITTLE MOISTURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, LIMITING
CURRENT PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO THE MOUNTAINS. A WARMING TREND
BEGINS FRIDAY, BOLSTERED BY UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDING IN
SUNDAY, WITH HIGHS INCREASING FROM 20S TO 30S FRIDAY TO 40S TO LOW
50S MONDAY. THEN, BY LATE MONDAY, THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES
MORE SOUTHWESTERLY, ALLOWING ADDITIONAL MOISTURE AND WEAK
SHORTWAVES TO ENTER THE REGION, BRINGING DAILY CHANCES (30-60%) OF
PRECIPITATION. WINDY CONDITIONS LOOK TO RETURN AS WELL.
ARCHER/ARENDS
AVIATION
THE WINDY CONDITIONS OVER FAR EASTERN MONTANA WILL CONTINUE TO
TAPER OFF THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TODAY. BREEZY NORTH TO
NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL THEN PREVAIL INTO THURSDAY. OTHERWISE,
LOOK FOR LOW STRATUS TO SPREAD EAST THROUGH THE REGION TODAY. WITH
THIS, WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP.
MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WILL BECOME COMMON THIS EVENING INTO EARLY
THURSDAY. EXPECT MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS TO OCCUR WITH THE SNOW.
ARCHER/ARENDS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 021 004/016 003/034 013/038 012/035 018/055 030/051
2/B 93/S 11/B 10/B 00/B 00/U 23/W
LVM 024 005/027 009/032 014/037 015/037 024/052 032/046
6/S 82/S 11/B 10/U 00/B 01/N 34/W
HDN 023 002/017 901/033 010/037 009/040 015/055 027/051
1/B 84/S 11/B 11/B 00/B 00/U 13/W
MLS 017 001/010 000/026 006/028 003/028 014/045 022/043
0/U 24/S 10/B 10/B 00/B 00/U 12/J
4BQ 024 004/013 901/029 009/034 008/034 017/050 027/049
0/U 55/S 10/U 01/B 00/B 00/U 01/B
BHK 018 902/009 904/021 004/025 000/025 008/038 020/041
0/N 13/S 21/B 11/B 00/U 00/U 12/J
SHR 029 002/016 901/032 006/035 007/037 015/055 025/051
3/B 94/S 11/U 11/U 00/B 00/U 13/W
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
11 AM MST THURSDAY FOR ZONES
29>32-34-36-37-42-56>58-138-139-169>171-173-235.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM MST THURSDAY FOR
ZONES 40-63>66-141-172-228.
WY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
11 AM MST THURSDAY FOR ZONES 198-199.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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